Kamala (wrestler) facts for kids

James Arthur Harris (May 28, 1950 – August 9, 2020), known by his ring name Kamala, was an American professional wrestler. He was called "The Ugandan Giant". Kamala played a scary character from Uganda. He wrestled without shoes, wearing only a loincloth. His face was painted with war paint, and he had two stars and a moon on his chest. When he entered the ring, he wore an African mask and carried a spear and shield. He is best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) between 1984 and 1993.

Early Life

Harris was born on May 28, 1950, in Senatobia, Mississippi. He grew up in Coldwater, Mississippi. His family owned a furniture store. When he was about four, his father died, and his family became very poor. As a young person, Harris worked on farms to help his family.

Harris left high school early. When he was 17, local police suggested he leave town. He moved to Florida, where he drove trucks and picked fruit. At age 25, he moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan. There, he met wrestler Bobo Brazil. Harris then started training to become a wrestler. He moved to Arkansas to continue his training.

Professional Wrestling Career

Early Career (1978–1982)

Harris started wrestling in 1978. His first ring name was "Sugar Bear" Harris. He wrestled mostly in the Southern United States. He also used names like "Ugly Bear" Harris and "Big" Jim Harris. He won his first championship in 1979. He teamed with Oki Shikina to win the NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship. In 1980, Harris joined Continental Championship Wrestling. He was known as "Bad News" Harris. He won the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship that year. In 1981, Harris wrestled in Europe. He was called "The Mississippi Mauler" in the United Kingdom.

Continental Wrestling Association (1982)

Harris returned to the United States in 1982. He met wrestling promoter Jerry Lawler in Memphis, Tennessee. Harris, Lawler, and Jerry Jarrett created a new character for Harris. This character was "Kimala," later changed to "Kamala." He was a wild character from Uganda. His face and body were painted. A video was filmed to show Kamala coming out of a jungle. This video was actually filmed on Jarrett's farm. To make Kamala seem like a monster, he wrestled in a rough style. He would chop and bite his opponents. To keep the character believable, Harris wore robes and did not speak English in public. Kamala first appeared in the CWA in May 1982. He had J. J. Dillon as his manager. He won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship in June.

Mid-South Wrestling (1982–1986)

In late 1982, Kamala started wrestling for Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling. He was managed by Skandor Akbar. In April 1983, he wrestled André the Giant. He also faced The Junkyard Dog in many "battle of the monsters" matches.

World Class Championship Wrestling (1983–1985)

Kamala debuted in World Class Championship Wrestling in March 1983. He challenged Harley Race for a championship in October. He also started a long rivalry with the Von Erich family. He often faced brothers David, Kerry, and Kevin. Kamala continued to wrestle there until late 1985.

World Wrestling Federation (1984)

Kamala joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in July 1984. He was managed by Freddie Blassie and a masked "handler" named "Friday." On a TV show called Tuesday Night Titans, Kamala seemed to eat a live chicken. He defeated many opponents. In August 1984, Kamala challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. In October 1984, he started wrestling André the Giant. Kamala's last appearance was in a big match in November 1984.

Various Promotions (1984–1986)

After leaving the WWF, Kamala wrestled for many different companies. In 1985, he wrestled for the American Wrestling Association (AWA). He was shown as a "monster" by winning many matches. He had a rivalry with Sgt. Slaughter. Kamala also wrestled in Japan as "Giant Kamala."

World Wrestling Federation (1986–1987)

Kamala returned to the WWF in July 1986. He was now managed by The Wizard and Kim Chee. From November 1986 to February 1987, Kamala faced Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. This was a very important time in his career.

In February 1987, Kamala teamed up with Sika. He also started a rivalry with Jake Roberts. Roberts often used Kamala's supposed fear of snakes. In April 1987, Mr. Fuji became Kamala's manager. Harris left the WWF again in September 1987 because he was unhappy with his pay.

Various Promotions (1988–1992)

After leaving WWF, Kamala went back to World Class Championship Wrestling. He wrestled Kevin Von Erich and Michael Hayes. He also worked in Japan and Mexico. In 1990, he started wrestling for the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). He had a rivalry with Jerry Lawler. He won the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship four times. He left the company in 1992.

World Wrestling Federation (1992–1993)

Kamala returned to the WWF on May 9, 1992. Kim Chee and Harvey Wippleman were his managers. In June 1992, he challenged Randy Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship but did not win. He wrestled against The Undertaker at SummerSlam in August 1992. In November 1992, Kamala lost to The Undertaker at Survivor Series. This was the first ever televised casket match. In January 1993, Kim Chee and Wippleman started treating Kamala badly. This led him to join Reverend Slick.

Slick tried to make Kamala seem more human. They did skits where Slick introduced Kamala to new activities like ten-pin bowling. Kamala had a rivalry with Kim Chee. He wrestled at house shows until he left the WWF in July.

Semi-retirement (1993–1995)

After leaving the WWF, Harris wrestled less often. He started working as a truck driver. He only wrestled in smaller shows and part-time for USWA. In December 1993, he wrestled in India.

World Championship Wrestling (1995)

Kamala joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1995. He was part of Kevin Sullivan's Dungeon of Doom group. This group wanted to end Hulk Hogan's career. Kamala defeated "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan at Bash at the Beach. He was also part of the "Dungeon of Doom" team at Fall Brawl.

United States Wrestling Association (1996)

On January 24, 1996, Kamala returned to the USWA for the last time. He teamed with Brian Christopher and PG-13.

Late Career (2001–2010)

Kamala took part in a special match at WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001. He lost to his old rival Jerry Lawler in 2002. He also appeared on SmackDown! in 2005. He was with Kim Chee. He appeared at the 2005 Taboo Tuesday event. He also appeared at Vengeance in 2006 with Eugene. His last match was on August 15, 2010.

Professional Wrestling Style and Persona

Kamala's character was seen as "problematic" by some. This is because it showed some negative ideas about African people. However, Harris was praised for his performance. People believed he was the character he played, and that he was dangerous.

Personal Life

Harris was married twice. His second marriage to Emmer Jean Bradley lasted until his death. Harris had five daughters and one son. He lived with his niece Ashley for some time.

In 1993, Harris's youngest sister and her stepdaughter were killed. Harris helped to raise his surviving niece.

Starting in 1993, Harris wrote and produced his own music. He wrote over 100 songs. Some of his songs talked about his frustrations with wrestling, like low pay. He released his first album, The Best of Kamala Vol 1.

In 2015, Harris finished his autobiography called Kamala Speaks. He wrote it with Kenny Casanova. The book tells his life story, his wrestling career, and how he lost both of his legs due to diabetes.

Health Issues

On November 7, 2011, Harris had his left leg removed below the knee. This was due to problems from high blood pressure and diabetes. He had diabetes since 1992. This forced him to stop wrestling. In April 2012, his right leg was also removed below the knee. A campaign was started to help him with money. Harris said in 2014 that he relied on a disability check. He also sold handmade wooden chairs and wrote his book.

In July 2016, Harris was part of a class action lawsuit against WWE. The lawsuit claimed that wrestlers got brain injuries and that the company hid the risks. The lawsuit was dismissed in September 2018.

On November 19, 2017, Harris had emergency surgery. He had fluid around his heart and lungs. He was on life support. The next day, his stepdaughter said he was getting better. By November 22, he could breathe on his own but could not talk.

Death

On August 5, 2020, Harris tested positive for COVID-19. He was hospitalized. His wife said he likely got it from his visits to the dialysis center. Due to COVID-19, he had more problems from his diabetes. He had a heart attack on August 9, 2020, and died later that day at age 70.

After his death, a GoFundMe page was started to help his family with funeral costs. It raised more than its goal. Wrestlers like Scott D'Amore and Chris Jericho donated money. Jericho had also donated money in 2019 to help Harris avoid losing his home due to unpaid taxes.

Championships and Accomplishments

• Continental Wrestling Association
  • AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Great Lakes Wrestling Association
  • GLWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• NWA Mississippi
  • NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• NWA Tri-State
  • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version) (1 time) – with Oki Shikina
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #144 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
• Southeastern Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (1 time)
• Southeastern Xtreme Wrestling
  • SXW Hardcore Championship (1 time)
• Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2012
• United States Wrestling Association
  • USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
• World Xtreme Wrestling
  • Hall of Fame (2013)

Images for kids

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  A robot for kids

See Also

In Spanish: Kamala (luchador) para niños